Fr Bob writes: We begin our post-Christmas journey, looking back to the birth of Jesus and forward to his time of public ministry on earth, leading to the events of his Passion, Death and Resurrection, which will bring about the salvation already announced in his birth “To you a Savior is born” (Luke 2).
Now we follow closely the footsteps of Jesus as he goes about the villages of Galilee, healing the sick, forgiving the sinner, raising the dead, cleansing the leper, preaching good news to the poor, just as the prophets of the Old Testament predicted he would do. Watching him closely, we learn how we are supposed to behave as followers of Jesus. Our words and actions are not meant to divide, discourage our condemn, but unite, inspire and heal.
The members of my community of Lift Jesus Higher have enshrined those thoughts into a helpful slogan: BULUCU RAPATA. It stands for the way we should behave towards one another: Build Up, Lift Up, Cheer Up, and the way we should behave towards God: Rejoice Always, Pray Always, Thank Always .
Maybe as a New Year resolution, you might think of adopting this slogan as your own, as you follow Jesus in his ministry in the gospel of Matthew throughout the year ahead?
Happy New Year to all our parishioners!